An empty commercial space in downtown San Jose where a Safeway was previously located is still vacant nearly five years later, after an oral wellness company backed out of a deal to move there last summer. Downtown advocates and residents remain hopeful another grocery store can fill the space, but officials say that could still...
Angelou’s in downtown San Jose reopening on First Street
Fans of hearty burritos and saucy enchiladas may have felt a pang of absence when Angelou’s Mexican Grill closed its doors at 21 N. Second St. in downtown San Jose at the end of 2023. But devotees of the San Jose institution can take comfort knowing Angelou’s is set to resume slinging Cali burritos, carne...
What’s next for blighted former church in San Jose?
Months after work crews removed tattered tarps and worn wraps from a languishing, historic former church in downtown San Jose, preservationists are worried city officials have lost urgency around protecting the building for the long term. The former First Church of Christ Scientist near St. James Park has been exposed to public view since late...
Private management of San Jose park sparks concerns
Two businessmen are working to take over management of one of San Jose’s most beloved parks—but concerns are mounting behind the scenes about how the pair will wrangle power over a popular public space. Dan Pulcrano—owner of the Weeklys media group which publishes a dozen newspapers including Metro Silicon Valley—has partnered with PR guru Dan...
San Jose to consider paying six figures after woman crashes scooter
A woman who suffered serious facial and oral injuries when a scooter she was riding struck a broken lamp post base in downtown San Jose is set to receive a $337,500 payout from the city. The San Jose City Council will consider approving the tentative settlement agreement with Andrea Ortega at its Nov. 14 meeting....
Google’s mega campus in San Jose hits a snag
Amid ongoing turbulence with office space vacancies, Google and an Australian development firm are ending their agreement to create four work and live districts in the South Bay worth $15 billion, including Downtown West in San Jose. The tech giant on Friday said its split with Sydney-based Lendlease is not the end of its master-planned...
‘Burning Man meets Golfland’: Urban Putt San Jose will change the game
Aliens, mysterious spirits and time machines are about to collide in the most unexpected way, and it has nothing to do with Halloween. A new entertainment destination will soon open in downtown San Jose. Urban Putt San Jose will bring interactive miniature golf, food and craft cocktails to the city’s core in 13,000 square feet...
San Jose landmark faces pushback from Chavez family
It’s been four years since officials unveiled an ambitious proposal to build a world-class landmark in Silicon Valley, but a new dispute over who should manage Plaza de Cesar Chavez may further delay the project. The organizers of the “The Breeze of Innovation”—a design that would use hundreds of swaying rods powered by wind to...
San Jose greenlights hotel conversion for student housing
San Jose leaders have reluctantly agreed to a plan to convert hundreds of hotel rooms into student housing amid concerns it will harm tourism. The San Jose City Council unanimously approved a deal yesterday between San Jose State University and the owner of the former Fairmont Hotel, rebranded as Signia by Hilton last year, to sell...
San Jose leaders say downtown is entering ‘a new era of promise’
The tone of an annual meeting on the state of downtown San Jose was hopeful, despite the city core’s slow recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. San Jose Downtown Association members met today at the Hammer Theatre Center, along with city leaders who rallied support for a “vibrant, community-driven” downtown. The area is facing a number of setbacks, including the...